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Friday, February 28, 2014

A preview of tonight’s game between the Cape Breton
Screaming Eagles and Saint John Sea Dogs…

When and where: Tonight at 7:30 PM AST, Harbour Station

TV/Radio: TELUS Webcast/News 88.9

Records: The Screaming Eagles are second in the Telus
Maritimes Division with a record of 32-24-1-3 for 68 points. The Sea Dogs are sixth
in the Telus Maritimes Division with a record of 18-37-1-3 for 40 points.

Last games: The Screaming Eagles are coming off a 3-2
overtime win in Charlottetown on Wednesday. Cape Breton had 55 shots on goal. The
Sea Dogs are coming off a 2-1 win in Charlottetown on Sunday afternoon. Nathan
Noel had two goals in that game.

2013-14 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 2-3-0-1 against
the Screaming Eagles this season while Cape Breton is 4-2-0-0 against Saint
John.

Last meeting: February 16th in Sydney when the
Screaming Eagles defeated the Sea Dogs 7-1. Antoine Landry allowed seven goals
on 28 shots.

Random stat: The Eagles are tied for the league lead in
shorthanded goals against with 14. Bathurst and Gatineau have also allowed 14.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Screaming Eagles: None

CB notes: This is the first of back-to-back games in
Saint John for the Screaming Eagles… 6-3-1-0 in their last 10 games… winners of
five straight… Cameron Darcy is 9th in QMJHL scoring with 75 points…
Julien Pelletier is third in rookie scoring with 44 points… Pelletier is fourth
in rookie goals with 21… Pelletier is second in rookie power play goals with
nine… Justin Hache is fifth in defensemen scoring with 46 points… Jeremy Beaudry
is seventh in defensemen scoring with 43 points… Hache is fourth in defensemen
assists with 41… 22-12-1-1 against the Maritimes Division… owners of the league’s
fourth best power play rating of 24.4%.

SJ notes: First game of a three-in-three for the Sea Dogs…
3-7-0-0 in their last 10 games… Sebastien Auger’s save percentage of .918
continues to lead the league… Nathan Noel is 14th in rookie scoring
with 34 points… Olivier LeBlanc is 14th in defensemen scoring with
33 points…. 15-18-0-2 against the Maritimes Division… Alexander McQuaid has
penalty minutes in six straight games… the Sea Dogs have lost five straight at
home.

Thursday, February 27, 2014

It’s shaping up to be a wild finish to the Quebec
Major Junior Hockey League season.

Five teams – Bathurst, Charlottetown, Saint John,
Shawinigan, and Sherbrooke – are in a battle for the league’s final three
playoff spots. 13th-place Chicoutimi still hasn’t officially
clinched but, you know, they basically have.

These five teams could realistically finish anywhere from
14th to 18th. Saint John and Shawinigan have both picked
it up in the second half while Charlottetown and Bathurst have fallen back.
Sherbrooke has pretty much been Sherbrooke all year. None of these five teams
have been picking up a lot of wins of late.

It’s also worth noting that the Sea Dogs have two games
remaining against the Titan and one with the Islanders. Saint John plays in
Charlottetown on the final day of the regular season and it would be real neat
if the final playoff spot came down to that game.

The Sea Dogs have nine games remaining this season including tomorrow night's game against the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles at Harbour Station.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Connor Donaghey now has 10 goals and 20 assists in 18
games with the MHL’s Yarmouth Mariners. That includes this overtime goal:

Thanks to @avgnsdave for the video.

Some other random stuff:

The Sea Dogs play a three-in-three this weekend. They
host the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles on Friday and Saturday night at Harbour
Station before travelling to Bathurst on Sunday afternoon for a huge game
against the Titan.

Details about the 2014 QMJHL Entry Draft - taking place
in Sherbrooke - were released this week. The draft is on May 31st
beginning at 11am Atlantic.

The AUS Men’s Hockey semi-finals begin tonight. Stephen
MacAulay and the Saint Mary’s Huskies take on Mike Thomas and the UNB Varsity
Reds while Pierre Durepos and the Universite de Moncton Aigles Bleus will face
the Acadia Axemen.

Kitchener Rangers play-by-play man Mike Farwell tweeted on Sunday that “under the new broadcast deal, Sportsnet will be adding Saturday
afternoon CHL games to complement traditional Friday night games.” Definitely intriguing
with Rogers taking over the national NHL rights next season, which includes
Saturday night games.

Monday, February 24, 2014

This was a huge win for the Sea Dogs who are now back in
16th-place in the QMJHL standings. They are two points back of 14th-place
Bathurst and one-point back of 15th-place Charlottetown.

Saint John ended a five-game losing streak.

Bradley Kennedy and Alexander McQuaid had a fight in the first
period. It was so far away from the play it took some time for the camera
operators to pick up that there was a fight going on.

Nathan Noel scored his 15th and 16th
goals of the season to give Saint John a 2-0 lead after one period of play.
This was the first multi-goal game of his career.

Jason Cameron had an assist, giving him three goals and
two assists in his past eight games.

Daniel Sprong had a goal and a bunch of other chances in
the third period. He had a Charlottetown high nine shots.

Antoine Landry got the start in net and picked up his
first win since his injury. He made several nice saves in this one, including one
off a Sprong breakaway in the third period. Landry made 37 saves in the win,
including 19 in the third period.

Saint John got outshot 38-17 in the game and 20-2 in the
third period. The QMJHL website says the Sea Dogs had just five dangerous
shots.

Defenseman Sheehan Kirkwood made his QMJHL debut on
Sunday. He had two hits, was a -1, and picked up an unsportsmanlike penalty in
the second period.

Entering this game, the Sea Dogs hadn’t scored more than
a goal in each of their past three games.

These two meet again in Charlottetown on March 15th
– the final day of the regular season. It would be quite awesome if the final
playoff spot came down to the winner of this game.

Sunday, February 23, 2014

The Sea Dogs took back the Quebec Major Junior Hockey
League’s final playoff spot – for the time being, anyway – following a 2-1 win over the
Charlottetown Islanders on Sunday afternoon at Eastlink Centre. It was some
redemption for the Sea Dogs who surrendered the 16th overall position
on Thursday with a 3-1 loss to the Shawinigan Cataractes. The victory also
ended a five-game losing streak.

Saint John grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first period and
would hang on for a 2-1 win. The Islanders outshot the Sea Dogs 38-17 in the game
and 20-2 in the third period but they survived.

Nathan Noel had both Saint John goals while Antoine
Landry made 37 saves – 19 of them coming in the third period – for the win.

A preview of today’s game between the Saint John Sea Dogs
and Charlottetown Islanders…

When and where: Today at 3:00 PM AST, Eastlink Centre

TV/Radio: TELUS Webcast/News 88.9

Records: The Sea Dogs are sixth in the Telus Maritimes
Division and 17th overall in the QMJHL with a 17-37-1-3 record for 38
points. The Islanders are fifth in the Telus Maritimes Division and 15th
overall with a 18-35-1-4 record for 41 points.

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 3-1 loss to the
Shawinigan Cataractes on Thursday night at Harbour Station. Oliver Cooper had
Saint John’s only goal. The Islanders are coming off a 6-4 loss to the Cape
Breton Screaming Eagles on Friday night. Spenser Cobbold had a goal and two
assists.

2013-14 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 3-3-0-1 against
the Islanders this season while Charlottetown is 4-2-0-1 against Saint John.

Last meeting: January 17th at Harbour Station
when the Sea Dogs defeated the Islanders 3-2. David Weckworth scored the
game-winner at 18:30 of the third period.

Random stat: Islanders goaltender Eric Brassard is
3-2-0-0 with a 1.98 GAA and .941 SV% against the Sea Dogs this season.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Islanders: None

SJ notes: Two points back of the final playoff spot with
a game in-hand… 2-8-0-0 in their last 10 games and have lost five straight…
14-18-0-2 against the Maritimes Division… Alexander McQuaid has picked up
penalty minutes in five straight games.

CHA notes: With 10 games left, Charlottetown is just
three points ahead of Saint John in the standings… 1-9-0-0 in their last 10
games and have lost two straight… 11 of their 18 wins have come on home ice…
Daniel Sprong is second in rookie scoring with 54 points, second in assists
with 33, and third in goals with 21… Alexandre Goulet is second in rookie goals
with 24… 12-20-0-2 against the Maritimes Division.

Saturday, February 22, 2014

How great are the Olympics, though? Here are some Sea Dogs news
and notes from the past couple days…

If you hadn’t heard, the Sea Dogs lost 3-1 to the
Shawinigan Cataractes on Thursday night at Harbour Station. The first two
periods were pretty rough for the Dogs as they found themselves down 3-0 and
outshot 32-15.

Saint John is now 17th overall in the QMJHL
standings and are two points back of Shawinigan who own the final playoff spot.
The Sea Dogs now have a game in-hand though with the Cataractes losing last night in
Halifax.

The Sea Dogs still have not beaten the Cataractes since
the 2012 Memorial Cup round-robin game between the two.

Saint John is now 0-11-0-1 against Telus East Division
teams this season.

At Thursday’s game there was a pre-game tribute video for
Mike McGraw. Pictured are stickers that were placed on the Sea Dogs’ helmets.

Jurij Repe made his return to the Saint John lineup on
Thursday, playing in his first game since February 8th. He assisted
in Oliver Cooper’s goal.

The Sea Dogs have a weird schedule over the next couple
weeks. They did not play last night or tonight but will return to action on
Sunday in Charlottetown. Next weekend they play a three-in-three.

According to the Cape Breton Post, Screaming Eagles “forward
Maxim Lazarev was handed a one-game suspension by the league for an open-ice
hit on Saint John Sea Dogs forward Kelly Bent on Sunday. Bent wasn’t injured on
the play.”

Thursday, February 20, 2014

SAINT JOHN – The Saint John Sea Dogs have picked a bad
time to go on a losing skid.

The Sea Dogs lost their fifth straight Quebec Major
Junior Hockey League game on Thursday night at Harbour Station, falling 3-1 to
the Shawinigan Cataractes.

Shawinigan and Saint John entered the game with 38 points
each. But now the Cataractes will pull into the league’s final playoff spot for
the time being with 40 points. Both teams have 10 games remaining. The Sea Dogs’
recent struggles certainly aren’t helping Saint John's playoff chances.

The Cataractes looked like the team that wanted this game
more. So they got it. This was just their sixth road win of the season and only
the 18th time they have outshot an opponent.

Saint John couldn’t get much of anything going offensively
in the first period and were outshot 17-5. Alexis D’Aoust scored at 15:40 to
give the visitors a 1-0 lead.

In the second, Alex Pawelczyk and Alexandre Delisle-Houde
scored for Shawinigan at 1:54 and 9:35, respectively. Shots were 15-10
Cataractes.

Oliver Cooper got Saint John on the board late in the
third at 14:19. But that would be as close as the Sea Dogs would get. Final shots were 38-27 in favour of the Cats.

Saint John went 0-for-6 on the power play while
Shawinigan went 0-for-3.

The Sea Dogs have another big game with playoff implications
on Sunday afternoon in Charlottetown.

A preview of tonight’s game between the Shawinigan
Cataractes and Saint John Sea Dogs…

When and where: Tonight at 7:00 PM AST, Harbour Station

TV/Radio: TELUS Webcast/News 88.9

Records: The Cataractes are sixth in the Telus East
Division and 17th overall in the QMJHL with a 15-34-4-4 record for
38 points. The Sea Dogs are sixth in the Telus Maritimes Division and 16th
overall with a 17-36-1-3 record for 38 points.

Last games: The Cataractes are coming off a 6-1 loss to
the Quebec Remparts on home ice on Sunday. The Sea Dogs are coming off a 7-1
loss in Cape Breton to the Screaming Eagles on Sunday.

2013-14 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 0-1-0-0 against
the Cataractes this season while Shawinigan is 1-0-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: January 29th in Shawinigan when
the Cataractes defeated the Sea Dogs 4-2. Noah Zilbert had both Saint John
goals.

Random stat: The Sea Dogs have not beaten the Cataractes
since the final round-robin game at the 2012 Memorial Cup.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Cataractes: None

SHAW notes: 4-5-0-1 in their last 10 games but have lost four straight... Anthony Beauvillier is 19th in rookie scoring with 26 points... Shawinigan's five road wins is tied for the fewest in the league... 5-2-1-1 against the Maritimes Division... their power play rating of 16.5% is third worst in the league... somewhat surprisingly, Shawinigan has the fourth best penalty kill in the league (81.3%).

SJ notes: 3-7-0-0 in their last 10 games and have lost four straight... have also lost four straight home games... Nathan Noel is 14th in rookie scoring with 32 points... 0-10-0-1 against the Telus East Division... averaging a league high 37.24 shots against per game.

The team announced this afternoon that they have called up Sheehan Kirkwood from the Valley Wildcats of the Maritime Junior A Hockey League. From the release:

Kirkwood, 18, signed as an affiliate player with the Sea Dogs after attending training camp on a tryout last fall. The Copper Cliff, Ontario, native played three preseason games with Saint John.

Kirkwood, 6'3" and 238 lbs., has one goal and six assists for seven points in 35 games this season with the Wildcats.

The Sea Dogs also announced that 16-year old defender Bailey Webster has been sent back to the Kensington Wild of the NB/PEI Major Midget AAA Hockey League. Webster, a 2013 draft pick of Saint John, has three points in six total QMJHL games this season.

Defensemen Jurij Repe and Olivier LeBlanc have missed the last few games with injuries. It was also announced yesterday that d-man Michael Abbott will miss the rest of the season.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Second thoughts on the CHL/Sportsnet extension: maybe it
will actually be good to have junior hockey on the same network as the national NHL
broadcasts.

On the one hand, Sportsnet could definitely shove their CHL
broadcasts into a corner and forget about them. But on the other hand, there
could definitely be a ratings boost by promoting the games on the same station
as national NHL broadcasts. Presumably, an increase in ratings would see an increase in games shown. Something to think about.

Some other stuff…

Huge game on Thursday night at Harbour Station between
the Sea Dogs and Cataractes. Saint John currently holds the league’s final
playoff spot with 38 points. Shawinigan is right behind them with 38 points as
well. It’s the final meeting of the season between the two.

Tough Olympics for Tomas Jurco and the Slovaks who,
following a 5-3 loss to the Czech Republic in the qualification round
yesterday, will finish 11th. Jurco finishes his first Olympics with
one goal and eight shots in four games.

The AUS men’s hockey playoffs begin tonight with Moncton
taking on StFX and UPEI facing Saint Mary’s. UNB and Acadia earned a bye
through the first-round.

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Sportsnet today announced it has reached a 12-year
partnership extension with the Canadian Hockey League through the 2025-26 CHL
season, continuing its tradition as the exclusive broadcaster of the CHL and
MasterCard Memorial Cup in Canada.

The new agreement, which begins with the 2014/15 season,
features a comprehensive suite of multimedia rights including television,
online and mobile, delivering more than 50 CHL games each year, including CHL
playoff games and the Memorial Cup.

Sportsnet has been broadcasting CHL games since the
network’s inception in 1998.
…
In addition, Sportsnet today announced a 12-year
sub-licensing agreement with TVA Sports for exclusive French-language
multiplatform rights for CHL games, beginning with the 2014/15 season.

Yeah. I’d like to say this sounds great but it’s
pretty much what we are getting now. The 50 games includes playoff and Memorial
Cup games.

That means about 35 actual CHL games per year,
about one/week on average. Some of those are likely regional too. So more of
the same old.
— Alan Caldwell (@smallatlarge) February
18, 2014

Sportsnet’s online content with Patrick King and Sam
Cosentino is solid and the team of RJ Broadhead and Cosentino on the TV side are good as well. But it’s not fantastic from there. The people watching these
broadcasts are hardcore junior hockey fans and it would be great if they could
add some analysts who were hardcore junior hockey watchers as well.

Sportsnet did pick up the NHL Draft rights in their
massive NHL rights deal so maybe they’ll add some more prospect people. And
speaking of that NHL rights deal, you have to think the CHL may get even less
air time – in terms of highlights, news stories, and other things - on
Sportsnet now. Ugh.

I really thought we were going to see TSN snag the CHL
rights but Rogers seems to have an unlimited amount of money. The dream of the
TSN hype machine taking over the CHL is dead.

Maybe this new deal will be awesome. But I think we’ll
see more of the same (hello, London Knights!). Prove me wrong, Sportsnet.

From a Sea Dogs standpoint, this wasn’t a pretty game. First time they’ve been blown out like this in a couple weeks.

Despite losing their fourth straight and being just 3-7 in their last 10 games, Saint John remains in 16th overall. Fortunately for the Dogs, all the other teams who are fighting for a playoff spot are struggling right now as well.

Antoine Landry made his first start in net since January 15th which was the game he got hurt in. The Sea Dogs backup goaltender had his struggles yesterday and may have been a bit rusty, allowing seven goals on 28 shots.

Jason Cameron is having one of the best stretches of his career. With a goal yesterday, the 20-year old forward has three goals in his past six games. Yesterday’s goal was also his fifth of the season which is a career high.

Just after Cameron’s goal at 9:13 of the second, the main lights that aluminate the ice went out and caused a roughly 15-minutes delay. The arena still had power and stuff but the main lights were not operating. The Cape Breton Post tweeted that there was a “surge.”

Sea Dogs must be closing in on the single season league record for power/light outages in games.

Saint John struggled after the light outage, allowing three Cape Breton goals in the period.

On a power play early in the third, Ross Yates sent out Nicolas Hebert, Marcus Cuomo, and Mackenzie Brown to start it.

The Sea Dogs’ offense didn’t have a great night despite outshooting the Screaming Eagles 30-28. It was just the seventh time that Saint John outshot an opponent this season. They are 2-5 in those games.

Bunch of roughing and unsportsmanlike penalties, misconducts, etc. late in the third in this one. Even Screaming Eagles backup goaltender Zachary Fortin was getting involved from the bench.

Sunday, February 16, 2014

The Cape Breton Screaming Eagles scored five goals
following a lighting problem at Centre 200 en route to a 7-1 victory over the
Saint John Sea Dogs on Sunday evening. With the win, the Eagles have clinched a
playoff spot.

The Screaming Eagles led 2-0 after one and Jason Cameron
had just gotten the Sea Dogs on the board at 9:13 of the second when a lighting
issue sent both teams to the dressing room. This caused a roughly 20-minute
delay and seemed to take away any wind that was in Saint John’s sails from the
Cameron goal. Cape Breton scored three more in the period and another two in
the third in the blowout victory.

Saint John managed to outshoot Cape Breton 30-28 in the
game but the Dogs certainly didn’t have a ton of quality scoring chances. The
Dogs, who are in a fight for the league’s final playoff spot, have now lost
four straight heading in Thursday’s missive game against Shawinigan.

The Screaming Eagles had a pair of goals from Julien
Pelletier while singles came from Guillaume Gauthier, Kyle Farrell,
Charles-Eric Legare, Bronson Beaton, and Loik Leveille. Alex Bureau made 29
saves in the victory.

Antoine Landry made his first start in over a month but
did not fare too well, allowing seven goals on 28 shots.

A preview of today’s game between the Saint John Sea Dogs
and Cape Breton Screaming Eagles…

When and where: Today at 4:00 PM AST, Centre 200

TV/Radio: TELUS Webcast/News 88.9

Records: The Sea Dogs are sixth in the Telus Maritimes
Division and 16th overall in the QMJHL with a 17-35-1-3 record for 38
points. The Screaming Eagles are third in the Telus Maritimes Division and 12th
overall with a 28-24-1-3 record for 60 points.

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 4-1 loss to the
Moncton Wildcats at home on Friday night. Samuel Dove-McFalls had Saint John’s
only goal. The Eagles are coming off a 5-4 win over the Gatineau Olympiques
last night at Centre 200. Cameron Darcy scored the winner with 11 seconds
remaining in regulation.

2013-14 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 2-2-0-1 against
the Screaming Eagles this season while Cape Breton is 3-2-0-0 against Saint
John.

Last meeting: December 21st at Centre 200 when
the Sea Dogs defeated the Screaming Eagles 4-2. Oliver Cooper had two goals in
that game.

Random stat: Including today’s game, these two face each
four more times before the season is over.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Screaming Eagles: None

SJ notes: 3-7-0-0 in their last 10 games and have lost
three straight… Sebastien Auger still leads the league in saves and save
percentage (.918)… Nathan Noel is 13th in rookie scoring with 32
points… Olivier LeBlanc is 12th in defensemen scoring with 33 points…
LeBlanc is fifth amongst defensemen in power play points with 24… 14-17-0-2
against the Maritimes Division… Thomas Chabot has points in eight straight
games.

CB notes: 4-5-1-0 in their last 10 games… have the second
most home wins in the division with 17… Cameron Darcy is 10th in
league scoring with 68 points… Julien Pelletier is sixth in rookie scoring with
38 points… Pelletier is second amongst rookies in power play goals with eight…
Justin Hache is fourth in defensemen scoring with 44 points… Jeremy Beaudry is
second in defensemen goals with 15… 19-12-1-1 against the Maritimes Division…
Cameron Darcy has goals in three straight home games… Charles-Eric Legare has
points in nine straight home games.

The Sea Dogs dressed four rookie defenseman again on
Saturday with Olivier LeBlanc and Jurij Repe still nursing injuries.

Samuel Dove-McFalls scored Saint John’s only goal with
just 1.7 seconds remaining in the first period.

Thomas Chabot picked up an assist on his goal, extending
his point streak to eight games. Not bad for a rookie defenseman.

Will Smith’s shorthanded goal at 4:24 of the second tied
things up. The goal came after a Sebastien Auger mistake behind his net and was
unable to recover in time. The goal seemed to deflate the Sea Dogs.

Moncton did not score an even strength goal in this game.
They scored two on the power play, one shorthanded, and another with the Saint
John net empty.

The Sea Dogs got into penalty trouble in the second period,
taking four straight penalties in less than six minutes. Moncton went 2-for-7
on the power play.

Auger and Ivan Barbashev got into it a bit in the third
period.

Christophe Lalonde had two goals in this game, giving him
seven in eight games against Saint John this year.

Saint John is struggling a bit right now, having lost
three straight and are just 3-7 in their last 10 games. They still 16th
overall in the standings.

Moncton’s win clinched them the 2014 Brunswick News
Rivalry Cup title. The Wildcats lead the season long challenge 5-3 with one
meeting remaining. It’s the second straight year they have won the title and
fourth overall.

Friday, February 14, 2014

The Wildcats clinched their season series against the
Saint John Sea Dogs with a 4-1 win at Harbour Station on Friday night. Moncton
leads the Rivalry Cup standings 5-3 but there is just one meeting remaining
this season so Saint John can’t catch up. Go crazy, Moncton.

Special teams were the name of the game for the ‘Cats in
this game. They scored three goals in the second period – one shorthanded and
two on the power play – and then added an empty net maker in the third.

Christophe Lalonde had a pair of goals while singles came
from Will Smith and Christopher Caissy. Ivan Barbashev added two assists. Alex
Dubeau made 25 saves in the win.

Saint John’s lone goal came from Samuel Dove-McFalls with
1.7 seconds remaining in the first period. Sebastien Auger made 25 saves in the
loss.

Young said the Sea Dogs’ needs moving forward are to find
a young goaltender, improve the offense, and add some size. Hard to argue with
that. He also mentioned that he’d like to have more picks for the upcoming
draft. These are the picks we believe Saint John has for the 2014 QMJHL Entry
Draft in June:

1-2-4(CAP)-4(SHE)-7-8-9-11-12-13-14

You have to wonder if the Dogs may move one of their older players at the draft to get at least another high pick. It may hurt the team next season, but it may be for the best with everything revolving around 2017.

As had been reported, the Saint John Sea Dogs announced this afternoon that
they have given Yates a two-year contract extension. He took over as Sea Dogs
head coach on October 30, 2013 following the firing of Mike Kelly. As usual, terms
of the contract were not disclosed.

"I am so pleased and thrilled to be able to continue
working and building our young team into another championship-quality
club," Yates said in a release.

The 54-year old joined the club as an assistant coach in
2012-13. Prior to that he worked with the American Hockey League’s Syracuse
Crunch.

The Yates head coaching era got off to a rough start but
the team has definitely improved since December. Saint John is 12-24-1-1 under
the Montreal native this season. Although their record isn’t spectacular,
anyone who watches this team will tell you that they really turned a corner in
December.

"Signing Ross was a priority for us moving
forward," said Sea Dogs President Wayne Long. “We want to put the pieces
in place for the future. Ross has done a great job with this young team, and I
think anyone that watches us can see that."

A preview of tonight’s game between the Moncton Wildcats
and Saint John Sea Dogs…

When and where: Tonight at 7:30 PM AST, Harbour Station

TV/Radio: TELUS Webcast/News 88.9

Records: The Wildcats are second in the Telus Maritimes
Division and 11th overall in the QMJHL with a 29-25-0-3 record for
61 points. The Sea Dogs are sixth in the Telus Maritimes Division and 16th
overall with a 17-34-1-3 record for 38 points.

Last games: The Wildcats are coming off a 4-3 shootout
loss in Charlottetown last night. Vladimir Tkachev had two goals. The Sea
Dogs are coming off a 4-2 loss to the Gatineau Olympiques on Wednesday night at
Harbour Station. Noah Zilbert had both Saint John goals.

2013-14 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 3-4-0-0 against
the Wildcats this season while Moncton is 4-3-0-0 against Saint John. Moncton
leads the all-important Rivalry Cup standings 4-3.

Last meeting: January 15th at the Moncton
Coliseum when the Sea Dogs edged the Wildcats 4-3. Saint John scored twice in
less than two minutes in the third period to seal the deal.

Random stat: All three of Saint John’s wins against
Moncton this season have come on the road.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Wildcats: None

MON notes: 6-3-0-1 in their last 10 games and have picked
up at least a point in each of their past four… Ivan Barbashev is 17th
in league scoring with 61 points… Alex Dubeau’s GAA of 2.67 is fifth best…
Dubeau also leads the league in minutes and is second in saves and save
percentage (.917)… 23-11-0-2 against the Maritimes Division… their penalty kill
rating of 84.8% is the league’s best… Christophe Lalonde has points in nine
straight games… Barbashev has points in seven straight road games… Barbashev
was ranked 19th in ISS’ latest draft rankings.

SJ notes: 3-7 in their last 10 games and have lost two
straight… Sebastien Auger is second in minutes and leads the league in saves
and save percentage (.919)… 14-16-0-2 against the Maritimes Division… Thomas
Chabot has points in seven straight games… the Dogs have lost three straight
home games… Matthew Highmore and Noah Zilbert each have four goals against
Moncton this season… the Dogs had to dress four rookie defensemen on Wednesday
due to injuries to Jurij Repe and Olivier LeBlanc.

Thursday, February 13, 2014

St. Malachy’s High School released this video today and
it features some current Sea Dogs and Jonathan Huberdeau.

Some other notes:

Tomas Jurco made his Olympic debut in Slovakia’s 7-1 loss
to the United States today in Sochi. Jurco was held pointless, recorded two
shots, and was a -1 in 13:34 of ice time. The Slovaks face Slovenia on
Saturday.

The Halifax, Nova Scotia, native signed a three-year
contract. Terms of the deal are not disclosed.

Young, 55, has been an amateur scout for the National
Hockey League's Vancouver Canucks for the last six seasons. That follows stints
with the Washington Capitals, Nashville Predators and Tampa Bay Lightning in a
25-year NHL scouting career. He was a member of the Lightning's scouting staff
when the team won the Stanley Cup in 2004.

"I'm very excited to be joining the Saint John Sea
Dogs organization," Young said. "In meetings with management and
ownership, I can tell they are committed to bringing another championship to
Saint John. It's an opportunity I could not pass up."

This will be Young's second term in the Quebec Major
Junior Hockey League. He also served as the Director of Hockey Operations for
the Moncton Wildcats between 2000 and 2002.

"We are thrilled to add Darrell's experience to the
organization," said Sea Dogs President Wayne Long. "His hockey
connections in North America and Europe are second to none. We intend to host
the Memorial Cup in 2017, and having Darrell in place for three seasons will
ensure we are prepared to win in short order."

Young played at Dalhousie University from 1977-79, and
then coached at his alma mater for 13 seasons beginning in 1985. During his
time at Dalhousie, his teams won two regular season championships and four
division titles, allowing Young to compile 225 wins behind the bench, most
all-time for a coach at the school.

Since 2000, he has been the Owner and Director of
Development for Darrell Young Hockey Inc., a summer training and development
program based in Halifax.

Young will begin his new role on March 1st. Current
co-general managers Ross Yates and Christian Vermette will maintain their other
roles with the organization as head coach and head scout, respectively.

Due to injuries to Olivier LeBlanc and Jurij Repe, the
Sea Dogs had to dress four rookie defensemen – Will Thompson, Thomas Chabot,
Alexander McQuaid, and the recalled Bailey Webster.

Noah Zilbert could have had a few more points in the
first period thanks to two brief two-on-ones and a decent scoring chance that went
wide. He scored Saint John’s first goal at 15:15 of the first on a power play
thanks to a nice feed from the point by Will Thompson.

Zilbert scored two goals in this game with both being
assisted by Chabot and Thompson.

Robert Steeves made a huge diving stop with his paddle on
Jason Cameron in the second period. He also made a huge stop off of Matthew
Highmore in the third period.

Alexander McQuaid took three separate minor penalties in
the second period, including one just seven seconds after stepping out of the
box.

It was pretty much all Gatineau for much of the first 40
minutes. Shots were 31-10 in the two periods combined. But Saint John didn’t
pack it in and kept the game close. They turned it on in the third, outshooting
Gatineau 12-6.

Sebastien Auger’s stick got stuck in the boards behind
the net in the first period.

The Sea Dogs were able to keep Emile Poirier and Martin
Reway both off the score sheet.

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

SAINT JOHN – A young Saint John Sea Dogs defense couldn’t quite contain the Gatineau Olympiques on Wednesday night at Harbour Station.

The Sea Dogs had four rookie defensemen dressed due to
injuries in a 4-2 loss to the Olympiques in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
action. Despite being outplayed by Gatineau for stretches in the first two
periods, Saint John was able to keep it close and had a pretty good third
period. They also managed to keep Emile Poirier and Martin Reway off the scoreboard.

The ‘Piques outshot the Dogs 31-10 in the first two
periods but Saint John turned things around in the third, outshooting Gatineau
12-6.

Noah Zilbert had both Sea Dogs goals with both being
assisted by Will Thompson and Thomas Chabot. Sebastien Auger made 33 saves in
the loss.

Alexis Pepin, Taylor Burke, Jonathan Bourcier, and Jake
Coughler scored for Gatineau. Burke and Adam Stevens also had two assists each.
Robert Steeves made 20 stops in the win.

The loss means the Sea Dogs remain 16th
overall in the QMJHL standings. They remain two points back of the 14th-place
Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

The Sea Dogs announced this afternoon that they have recalled defenseman Bailey Webster from the NB/PEI Major Midget AAA Hockey League.

In 30 games with the Kensington Wild this season, Webster has four goals and 20 assists. This is the second time the 16-year old has been called up by the Dogs this season. He made his Quebec Major Junior Hockey League debut on December 29th and in three games recorded three assists.

The Kelvin Grove, PEI native was a seventh-round pick of Saint John in the 2013 QMJHL Entry Draft.

A Sea Dogs press release says that he is expected to be available to play tonight. The squad has been hurting on the backend of late with Jurij Repe not playing Sunday because of an lower body injury and Olivier LeBlanc not playing in Sunday's third period.

Saint John hosts the Gatineau Olympiques tonight at 7pm at Harbour Station.

A preview of tonight’s game between the Saint John Sea
Dogs and Gatineau Olympiques…

When and where: Tonight at 7:00 PM AST, Harbour Station

TV/Radio: TELUS Webcast/News 88.9

Records: The Olympiques are third in the Telus West
Division and seventh overall in the QMJHL with a record of 33-17-1-3 for 70
points. The Sea Dogs are sixth in the Telus Maritimes Division and 16th
overall with a 17-33-1-3 record for 38 points.

Last games: The Olympiques are coming off a 6-3 win over
the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies on Sunday. Emile Poirier had a hat trick in that game.
The Sea Dogs are coming off a 5-2 loss to the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada on
Sunday at Harbour Station. Thomas Chabot and Oliver Cooper had goals.

2013-14 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 0-1-0-0 against
the Olympiques this season while Gatineau is 1-0-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: November 16th in Gatineau when
the Olympiques defeated the Sea Dogs 8-4. The teams combined for seven goals in
the third period of that game.

Random stat: Gatineau leads the league in shorthanded
goals with 18. Saint John is the only team in the league to have not scored
while down a man this year.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Olympiques: None

GAT notes: 5-2-0-3 in their last 10 games… Emile Poirier
is sixth in league scoring with 74 points… Poirier is fourth in goals with 40… Derek
Sheppard leads the league in penalty minutes with 141… Poirier has the most
shorthanded goals in the Q with eight… Poirier is second in game-winning goals
with eight… Vaclav Karabacek is fourth in rookie scoring with 38 points…
23-7-1-0 when scoring first… 6-2-0-0 against the Maritimes Division… their
power play of 16.5% is second worst in the league… Poirier has goals in three
straight games… Taylor Burke has assists in five straight games.

SJ notes: 4-6-0-0 in their last 10 games… have lost two
straight home games… Sebastien Auger continues to have a league best save
percentage of .919… Nathan Noel is 13th in rookie scoring with 32
points… Olivier LeBlanc is 12th in defensemen scoring with 33 points…
LeBlanc is fifth amongst defensemen in power play points with 24… 3-7-1-0
against the Telus West Division… Thomas Chabot has points in six straight games…
the Sea Dogs reassigned goaltender Christopher Smith back to major midget
yesterday.

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

The Sea Dogs take on the Gatineau Olympiques tomorrow
night at 7:00 PM at Harbour Station. They also host the Moncton Wildcats on Friday
night.

The QMJHL announced a few rule adjustments yesterday,
which includes teams being allowed to select 15-year old players in the 14
rounds of the draft rather than just the first eight beginning in 2015. Changes
to league’s odd compensatory picks system were also announced.

Scott Briggs of the Telegraph-Journal (paywall) reported last week
that Sea Dogs president Wayne Long said the new general manager will likely be announced in the final
week of February.

It’s All-Star week in the AHL. Mike Hoffman is the only
former Sea Dog taking part. The skills competition takes place tonight in St.
John’s and the game tomorrow. Both can be seen on Sportsnet One beginning at
7:30pm AST.

Jonathan Huberdeau’s fight against Toronto’s Jake
Gardiner last week was his first tilt since his infamous scrap against MacKenzie
Weegar in his final game as a Sea Dog. "I got suspended [four games] for
it. The referee fell, and they said I pushed him. And I got beat up after that.
I don't want to remember that fight," Huberdeau told the Florida Sun-Sentinel.

The Olympics begin for Tomas Jurco and the Slovaks on
Thursday against the United States. Puck drops at 8:30 AM AST and can be seen live on TSN.

Monday, February 10, 2014

It took less than five minutes for the Armada to build a
3-0 lead in the first. Goals at 2:26, 6:03, and 7:17 gave them a quick lead.

Thomas Chabot’s first QMJHL goal was a memorable one.
Chabot dumped the puck in off the glass from the neutral zone and Etienne
Marcoux went behind his net to play it. But the puck hit a partition on the
dump in and went into the open net.

The goal extended Chabot’s point streak to six games.

Some real questionable calls in this game. The Armada had
three straight power plays to kick off the second period but couldn’t get much
going on any of them.

Samuel Hodhod and Nikita Jevpalovs each had two goals.

Hodhod’s second goal was a beauty. He came down the wing
and got around Alexander McQuaid so he could cut through the crease. He then
slid the puck past a sprawled out Sebastien Auger to finish it off.

Oliver Cooper apparently scored his goal using Kelly Bent’s
stick.

Ryan Tesink finished the game with no points, four shots,
two hits, and two penalty minutes. He and McQuaid were going at it a bit in the
first period.

Bent and Saint John native Matthew Bursey fought in the
third period. Heading back his bench, Bursey gave quite a yell/scream near the
Saint John bench.

The Armada’s penalty kill is second worst in the league
and struggled a bit yesterday as well. Saint John went 2-for-5 on the man
advantage.

Saint John struggled to create scoring chances again
yesterday. They had just 18 shots in the game with only eight of those
considered dangerous. Shots were 13-2 in favour of the Armada in the third.

5,102 was the attendance. It was the largest crowd of the
season at Harbour Station.

Saw a couple fans wearing Fog Devils jerseys at the game.
Never forget.

The win moved the Armada into first overall in the QMJHL,
one-point ahead of the Drakkar. The Sea Dogs remain in 16th.

Sunday, February 9, 2014

The Armada head home having swept their three-in-three road
trip through the Maritimes and have now won seven straight overall. They completed the
sweep with a 5-2 win over the Saint John Sea Dogs on Sunday afternoon at
Harbour Station.

The Armada jumped out to a 3-0 first period lead.
Although the Sea Dogs came close to tying things up, it felt like the visitors
had control for most of this game. Saint John could only get 18 shots on goal and
only two in the third period.

Samuel Hodhod and Nikita Jevpalovs each had two goals
while Nathanael Halbert added a single. Etienne Marcoux had a few adventures in
net but made 16 saves for the win.

Sea Dogs goals came courtesy of Thomas Chabot and Oliver
Cooper. Sebastien Auger made 35 saves in the loss.

A preview of today’s game between the St. John's Fog DevilsMontreal Junior Blainville-Boisbriand Armada and Saint John Sea Dogs…

When and where: Today at 4:00 pm AST, Harbour Station

TV/Radio: TELUS Webcast/News 88.9

Records: The Armada are first in the Telus West Division
and second overall in the QMJHL with a 34-10-4-5 record for 77 points. The Sea
Dogs are sixth in the Telus Maritimes Division and 16th overall with
a 17-32-1-3 record for 38 points.

Last games: The Armada are coming off a 5-2 win in
Charlottetown last night. Danick Martel had two goals and an assist for
Blainville-Boisbriand. The Sea Dogs are coming off a 5-3 victory in Bathurst
last night. Nathan Noel had a goal and two assists.

2013-14 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 0-0-1-0 against
the Armada while Blainville-Boisbriand is 1-0-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: January 12th in
Blainville-Boisbriand when the Armada edged the Sea Dogs 3-2 in overtime.
Daniel Walcott scored the game-winner at 4:25 of OT in what was a closely
played game.

Random stat: Saint John native Matthew Bursey has two
goals and two assists in his career against the Sea Dogs.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Armada: Ryan Tesink

BLB notes: 7-1-0-2 in their last 10 games and are winners
of six straight… Marcus Hinds is fourth in the league in shooting percentage
with a 22.2% rating… Danick Martel is fifth in dangerous shots with 130… Martel’s
+30 is fifth in the league… Etienne Marcoux’s 2.69 GAA is fifth in the league…
Daniel Walcott’s 35 points place him eighth in scoring by defensemen… averaging
13.81 penalty minutes per game, the second lowest… an impressive 20-1-2-2
when scoring first… 8-1-1-1 against the Maritimes Division… their 74.5% penalty
kill is second worst in the league… averaging the second fewest goals against
per game (2.72)… averaging 25.30 shots against per game, the fewest in the Q…
Martel has goals in five straight games.

SJ notes: This is the final game of a three-in-three for
the Sea Dogs… 5-5-0-0 in their last 10 games… 3-6-1-0 against the Telus West
Division… Saint John is two points back from 14th overall and fourth
in the division… Thomas Chabot has assists in five straight games.

The Titan are struggling these days to say the least.
Bathurst has now lost 12 straight games and six straight at home. They have
been in 14th overall in the standings for forever but Saint John,
Shawinigan, and Sherbrooke are only a few points back now.

Bathurst led this game 2-1 entering the third. But two
goals in a span of 1:05 early in the third seemed to spark the Sea Dogs. They
would add two more goals to win 5-3. Saint John has struggled offensively over
the past couple games – particularly in third periods. But last night the team
recorded 17 shots and four goals in the final frame.

Nathan Noel had been fairly quiet over the past few games
but that changed last night. The rookie had his third three-point game of the
season with a goal and two assists. He was named first star.

Oliver Cooper had two goals. His second was his 20th
of the season.

Jeremy Doucet had two assists against his former team.

Jason Cameron had a rare multi-point night, registering a
goal and an assist. He has goals in back-to-back games.

Christopher Smith, recalled by the Sea Dogs this week,
made his QMJHL debut. He made 26 saves for his first QMJHL win.

Smith became the third Sea Dogs goaltender this season to
win their first start of the year. He joins Antoine Landry and Sebastien Auger.
For Landry and Smith, they picked up their first QMJHL win in their first start.

With his empty net goal, Nicolas Hebert now has more
points in 18 games with Saint John this season than in 35 games with Rimouski.

Former Sea Dog Scott Oke had two assists for the Titan.

Saint John moved back into the final playoff spot with
the win. They are just two points back of 14th-place Bathurst and
have three games in-hand.

Good crowd at the game. Attendance was 2,121.

Due to technical difficulties at News 88.9, the first
period was not broadcast. The rest of the game was, though, which was good.

Saturday, February 8, 2014

BATHURST – A four-goal third period propelled the Saint
John Sea Dogs to a 5-3 victory at the KC Irving Regional Centre on Saturday
night.

The Acadie-Bathurst Titan held a 2-1 lead entering the
final frame but two goals by the Sea Dogs in a 1:05 span seemed to turn the
tides. Saint John would add two more goals in the frame and outshoot Bathurst
17-8. It was good to see after a couple of tough games for the Sea Dogs’
offense.

Oliver Cooper had two goals and Nathan Noel had a goal
and two assists. Jason Cameron and Nicolas Hebert also scored while Jeremy Doucet
added a couple assists. One of the big stories in this one was Christopher
Smith who made 26 saves in his first Quebec Major Junior Hockey League game.

Nicolas Blanchard, Matthew Boudreau, and Raphael
Lafontaine all scored for the Titan. Jacob Brennan made 24 stops in the loss.

A preview of tonight’s game between the Saint John Sea Dogs
and Acadie-Bathurst Titan…

When and where: Tonight at 7:00 pm AST, KC Irving
Regional Centre

TV/Radio: TELUS Webcast/News 88.9

Records: The Sea Dogs are last in the Telus Maritimes
Division and last overall in the QMJHL with a record of 16-32-1-3 for 36
points. The Titan are fourth in the Telus Maritimes Division and 14th
overall with a 17-32-4-2 for 40 points.

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 4-2 loss to the
Rimouski Oceanic last night at Harbour Station. Saint John only had 16 shots in
the game. The Titan are coming off a 5-1 home loss to the Blainville-Boisbriand
Armada last night. Bathurst had 17 shots.

2013-14 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 4-2-0-0 against
the Titan this season while Bathurst is 2-3-0-1 against Saint John.

Last meeting: January 26th in Saint John when the
Sea Dogs defeated the Titan 4-0. Sebastien Auger made 32 saves for the shutout.

Random stat: The Titan have been shutout in four of their
last eight games.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Titan: Scott Oke

SJ notes: This is the second game of a three-in-three for
Saint John… have recorded 16 shots on goal in each of their past two games… Thomas
Chabot has assists in five straight games… 13-16-0-2 against Maritimes Division
teams… 5-5-0-0 in their last 10 games and have lost two straight.

BAT notes: The Titan have been struggling just a bit of
late, losing 11 straight… have lost five straight at home… Jacob Brennan is
fourth in the league in saves… Lucas Grundy’s 114 penalty minutes place him
fourth amongst defensemen in PIM… 10-21-2-1 against the Telus Maritimes
Division… Bathurst has the league’s worst power play of 12.4%... the Titan’s
goals per game average of 2.10 is the lowest in the league.

On January 31 in Val-d’Or, Auger made history by making
53 saves in a 2-0 shutout win over the Foreurs, marking the most saves ever
made by a QMJHL goalie in a shutout. The previous benchmark was 51 and that was
held by two goalies including most recently Benjamin McMullin of the Quebec
Remparts back in 2002-03. Auger will also be eyeing his 51st win of his QMJHL
career which would make him the winningest goalie in Sea Dogs history,
surpassing Mathieu Corbeil-Theriault (50).

What a goaltender. The 53 shots and saves in that game
were both a career high for the Sea Dogs goaltender.

Last night Auger was, to nobody’s surprise, named Saint
John’s player of the month for January.

Second straight game that Saint John only had 16 shots on
goal. Just eight of those shots were considered dangerous. At least the Sea
Dogs were able to keep this game close compared to Saturday’s 6-1 loss.

Saint John had a four-minute power play in the second period
and couldn’t get anything going. Dogs struggled to get any sustained pressure
on in the offensive zone in this game.

Olivier LeBlanc’s wrist shot from the point in the first
period got Saint John on the board. It was LeBlanc’s first goal since January
17th.

Jason Cameron gave the Sea Dogs some life in the third
period with a goal at 17:32. It was his third of the season and first since
December 7th.

Thomas Chabot got an assist on Cameron’s goal to stretch
his assist streak to five games. He has seven assists in his past seven games.

Michael Joly had two goals and Alexis Loiseau had three
assists. Philippe Desrosiers only had to make 14 saves in the win.

With Shawinigan picking up a point last night, they
continue to sit 16th overall in the standings. Saint John is two points back with two games in-hand.

In a pre-game ceremony, Sebastien Auger was named the Sea
Dogs’ Irving Player of the Month while Spencer Smallman was named the Canadian
Tire Student of the Month.

SAINT JOHN – For the second straight game, the Saint John
Sea Dogs could only get 16 shots on net.

Just like on Saturday in Rouyn-Noranda, the Sea Dogs’
offense struggled to get much of anything going in a 4-2 loss to the Rimouski
Oceanic on Friday night at Harbour Station.

The Sea Dogs were able to keep the game close despite
getting just 16 shots on goal – and only eight of those were considered
dangerous. Olivier LeBlanc and Jason Cameron scored for the Dogs while
Sebastien Auger made 28 saves in the loss.

Michael Joly had two goals for Rimouski while singles
came from Ryan MacKinnon and William Couture. Alexis Loiseau had three assists.
Philippe Desrosiers made 14 saves in the win.

Friday, February 7, 2014

A preview of tonight’s game between the Rimouski Oceanic
and Saint John Sea Dogs…

When and where: Tonight at 7:30 pm AST, Harbour Station

TV/Radio: TELUS Webcast/News 88.9

Records: The Oceanic are third in the Telus East Division
and eighth overall in the QMJHL with a 29-15-3-4 record for 65 points. The Sea
Dogs are last in the Telus Maritimes Division and last overall with a 16-31-1-3
record for 36 points.

Last games: The Oceanic are coming off a 6-4 loss to the
Shawinigan Cataractes on Saturday in Rimouski. Anthony Chapados had three goals
and an assist in that game. The Sea Dogs are coming off a 6-1 loss in
Rouyn-Noranda on Saturday. Saint John only had 16 shots on goal with Matthew
Highmore having nine of them.

2013-14 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 0-1-0-0 against
the Oceanic this season while Rimouski is 1-0-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: January 9th in Rimouski when the
Oceanic defeated the Sea Dogs 5-0. Anthony DeLuca had two goals and two assists
in that game.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Oceanic: None

Random stat: Thomas Chabot has six assists in his past
six games, doubling his point total.

RIM notes: Losers of two straight and are 6-4-0-0 in
their last 10 games… this is the first game of a Maritime three-in-three road
trip for Rimouski… Anthony DeLuca is ninth in QMJHL scoring with 67 points in
50 games… DeLuca leads the league in shots with 251… DeLuca also has a league
high nine game-winning games… 6-2-0-1 against Maritimes Division teams…
Rimouski’s 81.5% penalty kill rating is second best in the league.

SJ notes: This is the first game of a three-in-three for
the Sea Dogs… 5-4-1-0 in their last 10 games… Sebastien Auger leads the league
in saves (1,450) and save percentage (.921)… Nathan Noel sits 15th
in rookie scoring with 28 points… Olivier LeBlanc is 14th in
defensemen scoring with 31 points… 0-9-0-1 against the Telus East Division… the
Sea Dogs have the league’s third worst penalty kill (76.5%)… Thomas Chabot has
assists in four straight games... Saint John recalled goaltender Christopher Smith this past week... Nicolas Hebert is a former Oceanic.